Musician’s Guide: Hand Care (Part 1)

Musician’s Guide: Hand Care (Part 1)

4 Simple Steps For Musicians To Keep Their Money Makers Happy

Unless you’re Mark Goffeney (see this amazing guy rock out with his toes out below), you need your hands to play your instrument. Whether you’re a professional performer or amateur musician, there’s a few simple tips you should know that will help keep you money makers in good health.

1. Before You Play A Single Note

It is always important to first warm up your hands and arms before playing. Tight, cold muscles are much more likely to injure and fatigue faster. Warming up doesn’t have to be complicated or time consuming.

Simply shaking your hands and arms by your side for half a minute or so will get the blood flowing. Next stretch out your forearms, holding each position, as seen right, for 30 seconds.

2. Taking Time So You Can Play For Longer

As hard as it may be, you need to take breaks during long practise sessions. Get up and move your shoulders, arms and hands every 30 minutes (1hr at the most) to break repetition.

If you experience pain while playing, STOP. Don’t push through it, you’re not doing yourself any favours. Pain is your body’s warning sign that something’s wrong. Use stretching, shaking and self massage to get back to normal before continuing. If the pain continues, think about seeing a team of professional bodywork therapists specialising in musician injuries (hint hint). Get on top of it before it becomes a problem.

Stay hydrated with plenty of water. Your muscle tissue needs water to stay properly lubricated and working effectively. Without proper hydration, your muscle fibres become sticky and much more prone to injury. On top of this, your nervous system will tend to be more sensitive to pain as well.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post with the next two tips. If you have any exercises or tricks that help your hands stay loose and limber, please share them in a comment below.